


best-laid plans

by froggydarren



Series: FullmoonFiclet Entries [127]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV) RPF
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, Future Fic, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 05:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17823170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggydarren/pseuds/froggydarren
Summary: There's a plan for how he'll come out. Dylan had more meetings than he ever wanted to, all to make sure it goes smoothly.Best-laid plans and all.





	best-laid plans

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Full Moon Ficlet](http://fullmoonficlet.tumblr.com) challenge on tumblr - prompt #315: plan

There are meetings and emails and then some more meetings. Dylan hates how much of a production the whole thing is, but he knows that it's not something that's avoidable. He knew it years ago and it's the reason why it took him this long to get to the point where he's _ready_. 

In private, he's been ready for far longer than anyone knows. 

Julia was the first to figure it out. She didn't push him, didn't even _ask_ , but he knew that she had an idea before he ever said anything. Then, when he showed up at Pride, she just sent him a text with a row of heart emojis. On the outside it could have looked like he was supporting her but they both knew the truth. 

When he finally came out to her—and it was her, there was never any doubt that it would be—she just hugged him and kissed his cheek then took a rainbow pin off her bag and moved it to his jacket. She knew without Dylan saying anything that it wasn't as simple on the grand scale, so she pinned it on the underside of the jacket collar. _That way_ , she said, _you'll know it's there but no one else will until you’re ready_. 

It was just as easy with his parents, in the end. He was a lot more nervous about that one though rationally he knew he shouldn't be, not with how they accepted Jules. Still, it was a big secret to share and when his mom hugged him and his dad patted his shoulder, Dylan let himself breathe out and cry with relief. 

What was a lot more complicated was being out in public. For the first while it didn't matter, it wasn't like he went on dates or put relationships on blast. Still, he knew the world he was living in still had massive hangups and way too many bigots for an industry that was supposed to be open-minded. He remembered what secrets did to Colton and what the fallout was, the quietness in the background and the lack of opportunities that followed his public declaration. 

Dylan also knew that if anyone would understand his reluctance, it would be Hoechlin. 

They never talked about it, despite the adjacent topics and the drama around their roles in _Teen Wolf_. Despite their friends' coming out moments and their unyielding support for those who were out—Colton, Charlie, others who made the step to go public—and those who were not as outspoken. 

He always wondered a little why he never opened up to Tyler in the first place. He had plenty of opportunities, face to face and through their frequent phone calls and texts. Somehow it always felt like _too much_. Like saying that he's bi would open the floodgates and maybe put cracks in their friendship. He never thought that Tyler would judge him, but there was something he _was_  worried about that gave him the answer. 

His crush on Tyler. The one that he had from the day they met, the one that he didn't hide as well as he wanted to—Julia told him once that it was visible from space. The crush that could be brushed off as professional admiration and close friendship when the assumption and outward image still was that Dylan was as straight as they come. Telling Tyler that he wasn't, that he was into more than just girls, that would bring questions. Or at least that's what the devil on Dylan's shoulder kept telling him, despite the evidence to the contrary. 

That was why his coming out wasn't something he mentioned any of the times when he and Hoechlin talked since Dylan started planning for it. 

—

It's simple, in the end. The planning stage turns out a lot more exhausting and complicated than the final product, the end result of all the meetings and strategizing. After all the talking, it comes down to Dylan being interviewed and asked about his upcoming role in a movie, one that is a lot more high profile than his first non-straight role was. In that interview, he talks about having this in common with the character, being as bisexual as the man he's portraying on screen. 

The calls come in the moment the interview goes live. Julia knew, of course, as did their parents. Dylan didn't tell anyone else though, so the barrage of people who call and text to say something is almost exhausting. They're all happy for him, glad that _he_  is happy. 

But there's radio silence from the one person whom Dylan was hoping to hear from. There's not even a text message or any sign of acknowledgment from Tyler. Dylan spends a week pretending he's not disappointed and the world keeps turning as the fallout from the interview slowly dissipates and other things take over the trending topics and front pages. 

He's sitting at home and reading scripts that his agent dropped off when the doorbell rings. 

When he opens the door, his heart stutters at the sight of Hoechlin, looking like he just walked off a plane and ran across the city to get here. He's flushed, sweaty, fingers tight on the strap of his backpack. 

"Hi." 

Dylan chuckles as they speak the greeting in unison but his heart is racing. 

"So, uh," Tyler starts and immediately pauses, looking like his brain is trying to think about a million things at once. "I didn't know what to say." 

There’s no need to explain _what_ Tyler is referring to. Dylan steps aside and nods towards the apartment, then watches as Tyler walks in hesitantly, only a few steps inside like he's keeping an escape path open. 

"You didn't need to say anything," Dylan says, closing the door but leaving it unlocked. 

"I did. I should have, a long time ago. But I didn't know." 

"You didn't know what?" 

"I thought it was just me and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable," Tyler blurts out and his cheeks flush a deeper red. 

"What?" 

Dylan's mind is spinning in circles, bringing up thoughts that he let himself think a long time ago, thoughts he didn't dare say out loud because he figured they were just hopes and dreams that would never be real. 

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable _now_ ," Tyler continues like he missed Dylan's confusion. "And I didn't... I don't want you to think that I'm here only because you're out and... _fuck_ , I don't know what I'm saying. I just, I never thought... and if there's any hope at all, I figured I should try."

"Hoech, what the fuck are you saying?" 

"Fuck." 

" _Tyler_."

"Shit, sorry, I know I'm not making any sense," Tyler says, cringing. "I thought about what to say on the way here, but then I saw you and I didn't... I forgot." 

"Dude, if this is about the show and why we didn't do the thing..." 

Dylan isn't sure why he's bringing up what was a sore spot in their past, but he can't think of anything else that it could be about. At least not anything _realistic_. It can't possibly be what he spent too much time hoping for. 

"What? Fuck no," Tyler says. "No, that's water under the bridge. And that wasn't about either of us anyway."

"Well, I know that, but what is _this_ about?" Dylan asks, waving a hand at Tyler. 

He watches as emotions flash over Tyler's face, as he cringes and frowns, then as determination sets into his features. 

"I'm gay." 

The words fall into the silence between them and Dylan's brain screeches to a halt. 

"What?"

Confusion seems to be the theme of the day, but Dylan is stumped. They're words that he _never_  thought he'd hear from Hoechlin, never figured them a possibility. If anything—in his wildest dreams—he hoped for Hoechlin coming out as bi or just making an exception for Dylan. 

"Look, I know this sounds like I'm just jumping the bandwagon, but I've known—" Tyler breathes out like he forgot to for a little while, then he inhales deeply before he speaks again. "I've known longer than I even admitted it to myself. It just... it's not been a thing I could be open about before." 

"You could have with me," Dylan says quietly, then quickly adds, "and with Colton."

"I know. And well, Colton knows, I think," Tyler admits in a whisper, his cheeks turning red. "He didn't say, but if anyone knows..."

"Colton knows," Dylan tells him with a nod. "He may have hinted at my being bi before Jules figured it out." 

Tyler chuckles and then his eyes dart toward the door.

"So, why are you here, Hoech?" 

Dylan figures that direct is the way to go. He doesn't really feel like letting his mind wander and his hopes to fly too high. 

"Okay. Right."

"Hoech."

"Yeah, I... give me a second," Tyler says and then he meets Dylan's eyes again. "I like you. Fuck, this sounds like I'm a middle schooler. Maybe I should have had a note like the kind kids do."

"You're rambling," Dylan says, his heart racing in anticipation. 

"I am. Might be a little nervous." 

"So. You like me," Dylan repeats just to make the words real. "Like, what way?"

Tyler's face turns even more red than it already was. 

"Like I hoped we'd get to kiss on set because I thought about doing it ever since that boat interview. Sooner, maybe." 

Dylan's world comes crashing down around him. It's not in a bad way, he just takes a moment to reassess a lot of the things he believed for a long time. He doesn't look away from Tyler as he processes the new information, a little afraid that if he does, Tyler's going to bolt. 

"Oh." 

The word slips from Dylan's lips after too long a pause. 

"Look, I'm sorry," Tyler says almost immediately. "This was stupid. I don't know what I was thinking dropping this on you. I just thought—" 

"Me too," Dylan says, but it's not to what Tyler _just_  said, it's to the sentence before, the one about the past. 

"What?"

"Me too. I mean, I wasn't completely sure then yet," Dylan explains. "But I've had a thing for you from pretty much the first day we met. It took a while to figure out that's what it was though." 

"What?" 

Dylan figures that the expression that he's seeing in Tyler's face must be the same as his was only moments ago. 

"I only really knew after you left. When I missed not having you on set," he adds to his explanation.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They both fall into silence then but neither looks away. Dylan wants to do something, _anything_ , but he doesn't want to jump the gun and move, worried that if he does he'll wake up and this will have been just a dream. 

"So, with that said," Tyler says, breaking the tension. "What now?" 

Dylan chuckles and that shakes off the anxiety that's been swirling in his chest. It's such a simple question and yet there is no answer that doesn't bring complications and chaos. 

"Now like, _right now_ , or now as in where do we go from here?" 

Tyler shrugs. "Both," he says. "Right now I kind of really want to kiss you, but I also want to know if I can take you out for dinner or cook for you or whatever." 

"Oh for fuck's sake," Dylan groans and moves forward, closing the gap between them. "You can't just... don't go stupid romantic on me, Hoech. I'm absolutely on board with the kissing thing, though."

"Don't wanna be wined and dined?"

"Don't wanna pose for paps while we're trying to eat, to be honest," Dylan says, smiling, as he tugs Tyler's fingers off of his backpack strap so he can link his own with then. "We can talk dining later. After kissing."

"I can deal with that," Tyler says and leans in.

When his lips brush over Dylan's, there's a spark, like electricity courses between them. Dylan feels his palms sweat and his heart race as he leans into the kiss, his free hand snaking around Tyler's waist. It's almost like they've been kissing for years—natural, simple, but still exhilarating and _good_ , so good—the way they move without needing to coordinate or adjust. Tyler's taller than anyone Dylan dated before, which is a strange thought to have but yet it's the only clear one on Dylan's mind. Everything else vanishes as they kiss. 

When they finally pull their lips apart, Dylan leans his forehead against Tyler's and smiles, then takes a deep steadying breath. 

"So, uh, we're good at that part," he says. 

"Seems so, yeah."

"You wanna talk about what's next?" Dylan asks, straightening his back and looking into Tyler's eyes. 

For a beat, there's a teasing glint and the corner of Tyler's lips twitches. Dylan's about to say something about rushing things when Tyler speaks again.

"Not the right now next, though I hope there's more kissing soon," he tells Dylan. "Near future next though. Because you're out but I'm not and I don't know how public you want this to be. If it's anything other than just, well, _this_."

"It better be. And as private as possible would be great for me," Dylan says. "Do you want to be out?" 

"I do." Tyler nods. "I wouldn't want to be a dirty little secret."

"Well, that might be fun. But exhausting." Dylan sighs. "You know, you're kind of derailing my plans here. That interview was supposed to be all of my effort to go public." 

"I'm sorry," Tyler says, looking apologetic and contrite.

"Don't be. I've got the hard part out of the way, this is going to be good," Dylan tells him and leans in for another kiss, only a fleeting and soft one this time. "Let's leave the near future next for tomorrow. You said something about dining?"

"How do you feel about homemade nuggets?" Tyler asks, following the cue without hesitation. 

Dylan grins and nods. Then he squeezes Tyler's hand and keeps smiling as Tyler launches into a ramble about what he'll need to make dinner. 

All in all, despite this not being part of Dylan's plan, it's better than anything he dreamed of. 

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://froggydarren.tumblr.com/)


End file.
